Inland Empire becoming a specialty beer scene

In recent years, the specialty beer scene in Los Angeles has taken off and now the Inland Empire seems to be catching up.

The new wave means beer aficionados no longer have to make the trek to Los Angeles or San Diego counties for handcrafted selections, but they can look no farther than their hometown or neighboring city.

San Bernardino County is home to Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands, Dale Bros. Brewery in Upland as well as Big Bear Mountain Brewery and Restaurant in Big Bear Lake.

This year alone, I & I Brewing in Chino opened in January. More than six months after that, two new locations also began serving up artisan hops - Chino Valley Brewing in Ontario and Claremont Craft Ales in Claremont.

And it doesn't end there.

Donkey Punch Brewery and Ritual Brewing Co, both based in Redlands, are expected to open some time this month. There are many more in different stages of development.

"We are getting all these breweries here and we want to be a place where people think of it as a destination, they can come and do a brewery tour. Hop around within a 15-mile radius where they start here and end up at Hangar 24," said Emily Moultrie, who is general manager of Claremont Craft Ales, which opened its doors in August.

Moultrie said she has noticed that customers will go to Chino Valley Brewery, then stop by their brewery in the industrial complex in the north part of town, and end up in Upland at Dale Bros.

"These are people who would have never have come to Ontario or Claremont before. They go on purpose to see the brewery," she said.

"We've all done it. We're a bunch of beer geeks and planned vacations around beer."

The craft beer scene

As Dale Bros. brewery gets ready to celebrate its newly expanded location at Cable Airport in Upland, it now means the brewery will be able to increase its production, including its well-known selection, "Pomona Queen."

The Upland Brewery will celebrate the grand opening of its 8,200 square foot brewery at Cable Airport, today with Oktober Fiesta, with live music, food trucks and beer tasting.

The brewery's move is significant for another reason - it puts a cap on the burgeoning beer scene in the Inland Empire, which, in the past year, has seen the opening of two breweries as well as a nanobrewery.

"The more (breweries) we have to offer the more we can change the culture, expand people's knowledge of what beer is and what it can be - all the different tastes. It's a rich beverage with a rich flavor," said Karen McMillen, general manager of Dale Bros.

Her husband, Andy Dale, and brother-in-law, Curt Dale, own Dale Bros, one of the first local breweries in the Inland Empire.

Another brewery, which many in the industry see as a business model worth emulating, is Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands. Ben Cook, who has been brewing for more than six years, is the founder and master brewer at brewery adjacent to the Redlands Airport.

In May, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery took home a first-place win at the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup in San Diego for its Winter Warmer selection.

The growth has been fairly recent, Moultrie said. Just two years ago, when the creators behind Claremont Craft Ales were working on their business plan, the only local brewers in a 23-mile radius, besides Dale Bros., was Hangar 24, she said.

Moultrie opened the brewery along with her husband, Simon Brown, who is the director of the brewery operations. They are joined by business partners Natalie and Brian Seffer, who is the head brewer.

"There was good crop in Riverside but right in this circle of east Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino, the last three years have been crazy," Moultrie said.

McMillen echoed her sentiments.

"At that time we started seeing some new breweries, but it's been an explosion, three all new craft breweries. We think its fabulous," she said.

Strength in numbers

Why the sudden surge in breweries? McMillen thinks it has to do with the success of Hangar 24 and Dale Bros.

"It ends being up a lot of hard work and more difficult than people imagine in the beginning. That's why we try to help out others."

Even with the spike in local breweries none of them see themselves as competition. In fact, it's the opposite.

McMillen said she considers the craft beer industry to be very friendly - one where everybody helps each other out. She said she is excited to see the growth of the industry and what crops up next because they can all learn from each other, McMillen says.

"I think part of it stems from the fact that almost everyone who opens a craft brewery started out as a home brewer. And home brewing is often a collaborative venture among friends. Home brewers are always looking to connect with each other and share knowledge, ideas, equipment and war stories of brews gone bad - all over a couple of beers, of course."

Moultrie said she can attest to the helping hands of the Upland brewery. The Dale brothers were extremely helpful in helping Claremont Craft Ales brewery open, and it's why Moultrie is now trying to help friends who are thinking of opening up a brewery in Glendora.

It doesn't end there for Dale Bros., the new location may even have a tap available for up-and-coming homebrewers, McMillen said.

With the larger location, Dale Bros. will serve their own beer styles as well as from other brewers. They are also exploring the idea of bringing in homebrewers and giving them more of an outlet for their creativity.

Another reason why the breweries in the region embrace each other is because they know they provide something that can not be imitated.

Each brewery has a different focus or idea on how how they make their lager or ales.

"They are going to be made by a different person at each place and that person brings their own tastes, style preferences, knowledge and experience and what they like and what they want to serve," Moultrie said.

The new brewmasters

Those behind the handcrafted ales say they are aiming to provide more selections than what is often known in the beer community as the big three - Bud Light, Miller, Coors - which is mass produced and watered down.

Many brewers in the Inland Empire produce their one-of-a-kind ales using fresh and local ingredients such as orange-infused beer.

Partners Chuck Foster and Eric Millspaugh opened I & I Brewing in a Chino business park in January

The business venture is an outgrowth of their enjoyment of home brewing, and both say they are self-taught in the craft of ales, lagers and porters.

I & I Brewing is only open for tastings on Fridays and Saturdays.

Like many of the new locations in the Inland Empire, the brewers hold full-time jobs elsewhere, as Foster is a chemist and Millspaugh, a programmer.

They currently have more than a dozen beers on tap, including their interpretation of an American Oktoberfest. Their upcoming beers will feature a Cinnamon Papaya Belgian Dark Ale, a Belgian Pinapple Blonde and Peach Wheat Ale.

Business has been growing at both Chino Valley Brewery and Claremont Craft Ales. So much that both locations are now open Thursday through Sunday.

In Claremont, full-time jobs mean the brewmasters only brew once a week - on the weekends.

Right now, they typically have between seven and eight styles on tap. The goal is to expand to 16 taps in the near future.

The Claremont Craft Ales will always offer seasonal and speciality beers. Their flagship beer is the Jacaranda, a Rye IPA.

"No matter what kind of beer drinker you are, everybody loved it. People who say, `I'm not a beer drinker,' like this beer," Moultrie said.

Things are a little different for the guys at Chino Valley Brewery, a nano-brewery nestled among a row of industrial warehouses in Ontario.

On most days, brewer Matthew Maldonado and business partner Ray Duran spend nearly 10 hours a day, several days a week, brewing one of the five styles of beer that is produced by Chino Valley Brewery.

One of the newest Inland Empire breweries to serve up artisan hops offers everything from their own IPA, an English-style stout served on nitrogen, a porter to a Blonde.

What sets these brews apart from what you'll find in the grocery store is the ingredients, Maldonado said.

The Blonde Butterfield is one of the popular beers served at the Ontario Brewery. It's a light ale and something he recommends for people who don't like strong beers or are not use to drinking craft-style beers.

"Girls who don't usually drink beer drink it. Guys like it, too. It's our best seller and we seem to run out or we seem to be on the verge of running out of it on the weekends," Maldonado said.

Maldonado admits that he decided to brew a porter and stout because they are English-style beers, a personal preference.

The Foggy Morning Stout is a dark roasty beer, which has hints of chocolate and roasted coffee flavor.

He also uses milk sugar during the brewing process. It is served on nitrogen, something he said he doesn't see a lot in the Inland Empire.

As the business continues to grow, Maldonado said he would like to start by distributing their ales to restaurants and local pubs. If there is enough demand, they will most likely increase their operations. Ultimately, they would like to bottle their beers.